That time I got rejected three times on the same day!

Chapter 11

What followed after that exchange could only be described as extreme awkwardness. It was mostly me though; she seemed to be completely at ease.

"So, what is your name?" she said conversationally.

We were walking side by side to the storage shed.

"Henry," I said sullenly.

I couldn't help it. I had to recover to make this work. I wanted to know more about her. Where she is from, what her hobbies are, stuff like that.

"You're in 8-B right?" I said.

It was the best I could come up with.

"Did you figure that out by 'watching' me?" she said jokingly.

Her laugh was magic. The sound was indescribable. It made my skin tingle. I dropped my head in defeat.

"Are you going to make fun of me?"

She laughed again.

"Your confession was so bad. I think you deserve it."

I had spent many nights imagining her personality. I always wondered what my first conversation was going to be about, but I never expected her to be like this.

"Ouch, that's harsh. It was my first time," I said.

"So, I took your confession virginity?"

I blushed. I had found out that Neris was turning 15 this year, even though she was only a grade above me. Was this what teenagers were like? She was enjoying my embarrassment.

"It was also the first time anyone ever confessed to me, but it was still very disappointing."

I was fidgeting. She had a very dominant personality.

"I'm sorry," I said.

She stopped and turned to me, a stern expression on her face.

"Never say that you are sorry. Girls hate that," she said.

"Sorry."

The second apology was reflex. I had become used to saying 'sorry'. As soon as the words left my mouth I saw her hand flying toward my face. Her slap echoed through the corridor.

It stung, it really stung. I had never been slapped so hard before. I was hunched over, reeling from the blow.

"Ow! What was that for?"

I looked up at her; she had a satisfied expression on her face.

"I'm not sorry," she said, and started walking off.

I followed her, rubbing my cheek.

"That really hurt," I said.

"A good lesson," she said without turning around. "Just remember, it hurt me more than it hurt you."

I don't think she was being sincere. I had never met a girl like her before, and this side of her excited me. I enjoyed acting and would always 'act' like what everyone expected me to be like. For my parents I was the good brother, for my teachers I was the good student, to my friends I was the good friend. The only other person I could be myself around was my sister.

"I saw what you did this morning," she said.

"Huh?"

"How you threw the orange back at those boys."

"Oh, that."

She walked really fast for a girl. I was having trouble keeping up. She had no trouble walking and talking.

"I really enjoyed it," she said. "Why don't you stand up to all the people that bully you?"

I was learning about a whole new side of Neris. Her question wasn't difficult to answer.

"If I cause trouble I'm going to get suspended. I don't want to stress out my parents anymore than I have too. I don't want to worry them."

I had caught up to her and was keeping pace. She was a little taller than me, so her strides were a little longer.

"But what about you?" she said. "Doesn't the bullying bother you?"

"Of course it does, but it's just like water off a ducks back."

"The raincoat you always wear?"

"Yeah," I said.

We were getting along well. It was not the outcome I had wanted, but it was better than nothing.

Mr. Devlin and our classes were waiting in front of the storage shed. This was not the way I had planned to show up, but I would have to wing it. There was also another variable I couldn't control, what would Neris say? Would you support my story or say nothing at all? Would she call me out? It was a gamble I was willing to take. The morning couldn't have gotten any worse anyway.

"I see you found my keys, Ms.Arca," then he looked at me, "and Mr.Knight."

Nerissa's surname was spelled with a 'c' but pronounced as 'ch'. When she said her own name it sounded uncannily like 'archer', together we were the Archer and the Knight.

"What do you have to say for yourself Mr.Knight?"

Mr.Devlin never called us by our first names; he was a traditionalist like that. He was also very good at pronunciation and could say all the foreign surnames perfectly.

"I was late to class sir," I said.

"Must have been very late," he looked at his wristwatch, "because we only left 10 minutes ago."

"Yes sir."

He turned to Neris.

"I remembered that I usually lock my drawer after I sent you off. How did you get these keys?"

Game over. Picking the teacher's drawer was a serious offense any way you looked at it. I was in serious trouble now. I regretted ever showing off in front of Neris.

"Locked?" she said innocently. "It wasn't locked."

Mr.Devlin looked at me with a critical eye. He knew something was up, but he shrugged his shoulders and took his key. Neris was one of the top students of the school. As far as the teachers were concerned she was very trustworthy. When he turned his back, Neris winked at me. My heart almost gave again. The dull chest pain returned.